nice tank! i would be very careful about choosing a proper stand. keep in mind that it must be able to withstand 500+ lbs. so anything made of particle board is no good.

i personally would not cycle a betta tank. it's expensive and not mandatory (imo). water test kits are ridiculously expensive. lets say you end up with high ammonia or nitrate, now what? i wouldnt want to invest even more money to properly treat it. if a betta can live off of conditioned tap water, there should not be any problems.